Apple Of Forbidden Knowledge
by Serujuunin
Summary: The Assassins have finally retrieved the Apple of Eden, but their job is far from done. The challenge now is protecting it from the Borgia's greedy hands.


**A/N: This little bit came about from a list of writing prompts. The idea came about from the prompt "A Magic Item". Naturally, the first thing I thought of was the Apple of Eden. :D **

**I tried to replicate the scene from the game (if you'll notice, I painstakingly went through the scene and emulated the dialogue exactly, while perhaps changing the grammar so it flowed better and adding my own bit at the end). If all goes well, I will likely end up recreating the entire Assassin's Creed II game in writing, similar to Oliver Borden's "Assassin's Creed: Renaissance" novel (I was disappointed so I'm giving it my own try). **

**Enjoy!**

Leonardo gazed intently at the item sitting silently on his work desk, investigating it. "Fascinating… Absolutely fascinating…"

Irritated, Ezio asked, "What is it, Leonardo? What does it do?"

Not taking his eyes from the artefact, Leonardo replied, "I could no more explain this than explain to you why the Earth goes around the Sun!"

"You mean the Sun around the Earth?" Mario corrected.

Unaware of his comment, Leonardo continued. "It's fabricated with materials that shouldn't exist… And yet… this is clearly a very ancient artefact." He placed his hand on it, gently at first, as though it might shatter like a glass orb beneath his fingers, and then more firmly, spinning it around on the table to better look at it.

"The Codex refers to it as 'A Piece of Eden,'" Mario offered.

"The Spaniard… He called it 'The Apple.'" It was all they knew at present of the curious item, but they held on to that precious little information like a lifeline, hoping that it would lead them further down the path of illumination.

And so it did. Leonardo's dedicated mind sprung into action. "Like Eve's Apple? Of Forbidden Knowledge? Are you suggesting that this thing…" His voice trailed off into silence, as though the artist was pondering his own statement.

Ezio picked the Apple up off the table and turned the curious artefact over in his hands. It felt strangely heavy, almost as if it weighed more than it should given its size. Strange grooves set in a bizarrely luminous metal glowed with an amber light, creating dancing patterns on the walls of the cluttered workshop. He and Leonardo seemed to be the only ones immune to its strange light, as Niccolo and Mario were covering their eyes, trying to get a sideways glance at the revered Apple. The more he turned it over in his hands, the more bizarre it seemed to him. It was clearly a powerful object, as he and his fellows could feel the power radiating from it, but how did one access the legendary powers of the Apple? His hands groped it blindly, and found a set of depressions that fit his fingers perfectly. He slipped his fingers into them and squeezed slightly, and the curious amber light intensified, casting the Assassins into a three dimensional network of mechanical designs, strange images and foreign symbols. He glanced quickly at the images presented to him, glimpsing a machine that looked like a strange wooden turtle, and a man with four arms and four legs standing within a circle. His eyes couldn't take much of the radiant patterns, and he looked away, blinking, and saw the ever-aware Leonardo gazing with rapture at as many of the images as he could, his keen mind no doubt already imagining how to replicate such designs in reality. Ezio removed his fingers from the depressions, and the images faded, leaving not but the strange dancing lights on the walls.

"This must never fall into the wrong hands," Leonardo said adamantly. "It would drive weaker minds insane…"

With him, Ezio most definitely agreed. "No doubt the Spaniard will be relentless in his desire to gain it back." He held it in his hands, pondering the near-limitless power that sat now in his palms. He put it back on the table, unsure of what to make of such an ancient power.

"Ezio, you must protect this with all the skills we have taught you," Machiavelli said ardently. He, as well as Mario, Leonardo and Ezio himself, knew all too well what could happen should the Templars gain it back. The Assassins would have to use every weapon in their arsenal to maintain possession of it.

"Take it to Forli," Mario suggested. "The citadel is walled, protected by cannons- and our ally controls it."

Skeptical, Ezio inquired, "Who is this ally?"

"Her name is Caterina Sforza."

Ezio's mind flashed back to his brief, albeit enjoyable foray into Romagna territory, and a small smile played on his lips.

"You don't say... I think I may enjoy this mission."

Turning to Leonardo, he bowed his head. "Thank you for everything, my oldest friend." He embraced his friend tightly, aware that he would never have gotten this far were it not for the inventor's imagination and intelligence, and for that he was eternally grateful.

"Leonardo!" Mario said suddenly, his inflection changing dramatically as they began talk of happier things. "Ezio tells me you travel often to _Milano. _I have a grand villa in _Toscana. _You must come visit me there." Leonardo bowed gratefully.

"_Grazie a Dio _for the invitation, Mario. I will take you up on it next I am in the region," Leonardo said happily. "But, for now, we have business to attend to."

Machiavelli nodded, his ever stoic expression more like stone now than Ezio had seen it before. "Come. Forli awaits us."


End file.
